Oscar Contest - Category Highlight - Best Support Roles

February 15, 2006

With the Oscars less than a month away and our contest well under way, there's no better time to take a closer look at some of the nominees. Today we'll look at the Best Supporting Roles for both Actor and Actress.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

George Clooney in Syriana
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for SAG, won for Golden Globe

Matt Dillon in Crash
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, SAG, and Golden Globes. Won SAG, (as part of cast).

Paul Giamatti in Cinderella Man
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for Golden Globes. Won SAG.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for SAG.

William Hurt in A History of Violence
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: Three nominations including one win.
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: None.

Notes

  • This is one of the more competitive categories this year with every nomination having a legitimate shot at winning the award.
  • Four of the five nominees are first-timers while the other didn't pick up any other major nominations.
  • Oscar voters tend to have a history of giving out Oops! Awards to people who were unfairly passed over the in past, and that might help Paul Giamatti as does his SAG win.
  • George Clooney's Golden Globe win might make him a favorite in this field, but he does have nods for directing and writing Good Night and Good Luck and vote splitting might hurt his chances for this film.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal's role in Brokeback Mountain was the meatiest, so much so that many people thought he would be up for a Leading Role nomination. This both helps and hurts his chances since he had the most time to shine, but some voters will not vote for him here because they don't consider it a supporting role.
  • Matt Dillon did win a SAG but that was for Best Cast and Oscar voters might not be willing to single him out for the award.
  • William Hurt has more Oscars experience than the rest of the nominees combined, but his nomination was a bit of a surprise because his performance in the move was so short and it is unlikely that he will take home his second Oscar.



Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in Junebug
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for SAG and Independent Spirit Awards

Catherine Keener in Capote
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: One previous nomination but no wins
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Two SAG nominations, one for supporting acting and one for Best Cast.

Frances McDormand in North Country
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: Three previous nominations including one win.
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for SAG and Golden Globes.

Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Won SAG and Golden Globe.

Michelle Williams in Brokeback Mountain
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Two SAG nominations, one for supporting acting and one for Best Cast. Also nominated for Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Awards

Notes

  • This category is not as competitive as Rachel Weisz as won both the major awards so far.
  • On the other hand, Michelle Williams's performance was excellent and she could be swept up in the Brokeback Mountain mania and that would help her chances.
  • My personal favorite is Catherine Keener, but she seems like a long shot for her, especially since her performance was overshadowed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
  • Frances McDormand is a bit of a long shot since she is already an Oscar winner and this was not her best work (but that's more of a indication on how wonderful her performances are and not an attack on the quality of this performance).
  • Amy Adams is also a long-shot mainly because she is the least known actress and Junebug earned by far the smallest box office during its theatrical run. (You can't legitimately vote for a performance if you've never seen it.)
  • This time three of the five nominees are first-timers while the other two share four nominations and one win between them.
I hope this helps you pick your predictions in our contest. And remember, this is our biggest contest yet with plenty of prizes including...

The DVD of Streets of Legend.

STREETS OF LEGEND is an exhilarating, character-driven exploration of love and betrayal set against the illegal and multiethnic car-racing subculture of Southern California. Director Joey Curtis paints a classical and yet urgently contemporary urban myth of youth rivalry, love and war. Inner city player Chato, a first generation Guatemalan-American growing up in the hood of Crenshaw, Los Angeles, realizes the cost of infidelity when he opens the door for two star-crossed lovers. Chato's childhood sweetheart, Noza, possessing the grace and innocence of a Mexican-born princess, falls in love with Quattro, a white street racer from the desert, who races down the same two-lane blacktop as his father before him. Their relationship sets the stage for a bitter vendetta in which all parties compete for the highest stakes. Driving this narrative with fantastic imagery, Curtis elevates ordinary teenage experiences of friendship and romance to the stuff of folklore. And though the sounds are louder and the cars are faster, older audiences will recognize that "Streets of Legend" may well be the grandchild of "American Graffiti."


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Filed under: Brokeback Mountain, Cinderella Man, Crash, Syriana, The Constant Gardener, A History of Violence, Capote, North Country, Junebug